


so near, yet so far away

by planetundersiege



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Character Study, Drabble, Emotional Hurt, Erased memories, Friendship, Gen, Longing, Missing Scene, POV Eleventh Doctor, Spoilers for Tenth Doctor Era, Wordcount: 100-500, doctor who - Freeform, not moving on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:56:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28577877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/planetundersiege/pseuds/planetundersiege
Summary: Even after his regeneration, he often came back for her, just to watch.
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor & Donna Noble
Kudos: 11





	so near, yet so far away

Even after his regeneration, he often came back for her, just to watch.

The Doctor always watched her from a distance, making sure to never be seen as he walked down the busy streets of England, checking in on Donna Noble to see how she was doing, how life had treated her.

He knew he could never go up to her and say hi, her mind would burn up in less than a second, he would be the reason she met a horrible end, he would be the reason her life was stolen. That’s why he always made sure she would never spot him, that he would never strike up conversation with him. Before his regeneration, he couldn’t even afford the luxury of watching Donna from a distance, that would have been too dangerous. Too much of a risk.

But now, she didn’t know this face. Before, just one look and she would remember. Now, she wouldn’t, he was a completely different man, new everything. So, it was his godly reward, to watch her but not speak. Because if he spoke to his old friend, he was afraid that would bring back their many fond memories.

It wasn’t worth the risk.

He had tried to move on, he went on many adventures with Rory and Amy, as well as River of course. But more often than he wanted to admit he found his mind wandering back, Donna Noble once again retuning to the Doctor’s thoughts.

It was nice watching her grow older and older, making new friends and being happy. Starting a family of her own, living her best life. Yet when he looked at her, he could see something was missing from her, something she couldn’t quite place.

And he knew what, and Donna would never be able to find what’s missing for the rest of her life, if she wanted to keep that gift.

It was bittersweet, really. It hurt to see her, sorrow feeling his entire being while mixing with the joy of seeing Donna just being herself, a human. It was a blessing and a curse. She would never remember him, but he would remember her for the rest of all of his lifetimes.

He would come back over and over, just to watch.


End file.
